Digital Privacy Blog
WhatsApp Runs Afoul of GDPR in EU
2021-09-04 (Last Update: Sat, 04 Sep 2021) System Administrator 0 GDPR
WhatsApp and by extension its parent company Facebook have been fined $267 Million for their obfuscation and direct lies about what information was being shared between WhatsApp and Facebook after the merger. Given that GDPR authorizes fines up to 4% of gross revenue of a company, Facebook got off easy here.
When Facebook bought WhatsApp we all knew this was going to happen because of what had happened with instagram just years before. For WhatsApp, the absorption of data was slower because WhatsApp had a more privacy focused corporate culture. This clash of cultures between senior execs led to conflicting messaging to users from each hierarchy after the merger.
Even WhatsApp's PR statement on this fine is likely incorrect, where they stated they are “committed to providing a secure and private service.”
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